Over at ESPN's HornsNation, Carter Strickland looks at how the eventual resolution of the QB battle between David Ash, Case McCoy and incoming freshman Connor Brewer this spring will have effects that go way beyond 2012:

It stands to reason, if Texas goes through 2012 once again questioning who the right person is for the quarterback job, then it once again will be in the same predicament it now finds itself mired in during the spring of 2013. To avoid that, this spring Texas needs to critically evaluate not only who will serve as quarterback in 2012, but who it should invest in so that the program is best served in the future.

With McCoy's lack of arm strength being what Donald Rumsfeld would call a "known known", many fans are hoping that Ash, who has thrust into the fire as a true freshman last season without even the benefit of spring ball, will show significant improvement after his first collegiate off-season.

As Strickland points out, with another top-rated recruiting class starting to come together in 2013, the QB position is the one thing holding Texas back from returning to the top of the Big 12.